"I love you."
Subaru found himself in that weird dream again. Nothing but shadows and darkness surrounded him. He tried to move again and yet found himself unable to. He looked around, trying to spot her again.
"I love you."
The same two words. The same words of declaration of love echoed in this vast space. The words which calmed him. He strained his senses, searching for any sign of her presence.
"I love you."
"Satella?" Subaru managed to say.
Suddenly the rambling stopped. The space shifted and the shadows trembled. And then he saw her again. A silver-haired elf girl with amethyst eyes.
"You... Remember me?" she said softly, her voice like a gentle echo through the darkness.
"I mean, it really depends on what you're asking," Subaru replied. "As in this dream, I do. But in general, I don't."
"Oh..." Satella said, her eyes shimmered with a mixture of sadness and longing.
"Hey, It doesn't mean that we can't get know to each other," Subaru continued. "I am Natsuki Subaru! Well, you probably already know that."
"I've waited so long to hear your voce again," she murmured, a faint smile touching her lips.
"I am Satella... Witch of Envy..." Satella said.
"A witch? Like a real one?" Subaru blinked, a bit taken aback. "I don't really understand what that means here. You're kind of different from the stories I've read."
"Different?" She asked softly.
"Like you know, in the tales, these old and ugly grandmothers who cast curses and brew potions," Subaru said with a nervous chuckle. "But you—you're different. You're kind, gentle, and... beautiful."
Satella's cheeks flushed faintly at his words, a delicate blush spreading across her face. She looked down for a moment, then she lifted her gaze.
"You always said kind things," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "How beautiful I am, how captivating my eyes are, how much I mean to you."
"I did?" Subaru's cheeks blushed slightly, caught off guard by her words. "I don't remember...."
Satella's form trembled. "You gave me so many things... That's why I love you. Because you... you gave me everything."
She looked up at him, her amethyst eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Even if you forget... I will always be here. Waiting, watching, loving you."
"Until then, I'll keep loving you—no matter what. Because you're the one who gives my life meaning."
. ──────────
Tap. Tap. Tap.
A sound of tapping echoed in the room of the abandoned house in which the biggest deception has just been played out.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The trembling finger was tapping the table rather nervously, as if it was trying to calm itself amidst the tense silence.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Subaru sighed, a deep breath that seemed to carry the weight of the moment. He looked towards his other companion, the blonde elf with sky blue eyes who was watching him, The elf's gaze was steady, but beneath it, a flicker of concern lingered.
"Lord Pleaides..."
Subaru flinched at her voice. "Uh, yeah? Alpha?" Alpha, that was her name now, the first letter of the Greek alphabet.
"Is everything alright? You look a bit tense."
Subaru hesitated, then forced a small, reassuring smile. "Yeah, everything is fine, just a lot to process..."
'Tense? Yeah, I guess that's an understatement' His mind was spiraling with a million questions—about Cid's ridiculous story about the Cult, about this "secret organization," and about how he might actually be able to cure this possession thing. And the best of it, Cid just left them alone, saying something about shadows and all that edgy stuff. What the hell was that all about?
Subaru knew Cid was special... In his own way and no, he wasn't talking about his murdering bandits habits or rather being extremely sensetive and greedy then it came to money. All of this, every single thing he considered as roleplay. Cid's story about the Cult sounded so ridiculous Subaru almost laughed—if he wasn't so damn flabbergasted. And Alpha's gaze—steady, composed and determined, she's been through a lot, he can tell.
"If I may ask, about the Cult of Diablos... Is it even real?" Alpha voice broke through the silence.
"Yeah, Cult of Diablos..." Subaru echoed. "Look, I don't really have much of a clue. Cid just started rambling about some random crap." Subaru admitted, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Honestly, it all sounded pretty far-fetched. Cults, shadows, secret organizations—none of that really makes sense to me right now."
Alpha did not judge, but listened intently, with each second more questions forming in her mind.
"If you say It's not real... Then why did you lie about it earlier? About the Cult, I mean," Alpha pressed softly, her eyes narrowing just slightly, curious but cautious.
"Um, my brother is... special and he tends to blow things out of proportion. Sometimes I just go along with it to keep the peace. I didn't mean to deceive you, honestly." Subaru's voice faltered slightly, guilt flickering in his eyes.
"I-I see..." Alpha tilted her head slightly, her expression thoughtful. She seemed to weigh Subaru's words carefully before responding.
"May I ask you where did you find me?"
"Well..." Subaru pondered for a moment. "We found you uh... locked into the cage in the bandit camp, we took care of all the bandits, before we spot you. "
"Bandit camp?" She looked deep in thoughts, before she slightly frowned, as she realized something.
"Yeah, I think Bandits wanted to sell you to the church, so they could purify you."
"Purify me?"
"Well, although they explain it as a purification, it's basically just a murder. They are actively seeking possessed people and killing them in the process, calling it a purification." Subaru told her the truth, from a little he knew about the Church.
Alpha eyes widened in horror, before her face confronted Into rage.
"They are just... killing people with possession? Maniacs! Those are innocent people! They can... They can be cured... I mean you—".
"That's the harsh truth, I am sorry."
For a moment. the room fell into a heavy silence Alpha's fists clenched tightly, her blue eyes burning with a fierce determination. Subaru watched her, feeling a mix of guilt and concern.
"There are probably more people like me." Alpha's voice trembled with a mixture of anger and resolve. "People who are suffering, who are being hunted and murdered without any real hope."
Subaru listened quietlly, absorbing her words. Alpha's fists unclenched slowly, her blue eyes shimmering with a mixture of fury and sorrow. She looked away briefly, as if trying to steady herself, then turned back to Subaru with renewed determination.
"We can't let this continue," she said firmly. "If there are others like me, we have to find a way to help them. We need to rescue them and take them in. Every life matters, we can't just ignore their suffering."
"Yeah," Subaru said softly, voice a little hoarse but steady. "I get it. No one should be hunted down like some kind of monster just for... for having a possesion or whatever. Those guys in the church? They're just playing judge, jury, and executioner. That's not justice—that's cruelty, plain and simple."
He took a deep breath, feeling the resolve building within him. "Life isn't something to be tossed aside or judged by some twisted standard. It's precious. It's fragile. And it's worth every effort to protect it. We're not just gonna sit around and watch people die. We're gonna find a way to stop this. I swear, I'll do whatever it takes."
Alpha stepped closer, her expression softening just a little, but her voice remained steadfast. "Then we need a plan. We have to gather information, find allies and set our base of operations."
"And," Alpha continued. "Your brother-"
"Yeah, I get it." Subaru interjected. "He is... quite difficult to deal with sometimes, but he is strong and he cares... in his own way. We'll figure this out together."
The room fell into a quiet moment of resolve, the silence no longer tense but filled with a shared determination.
. ──────────
The two swords met with a resounding clang, a fierce spark erupting from the contact. Sword against sword sent a sharp, metallic sound. Subaru's eyes locked on his opponent's sword with determination.
"Focus on the opponent's movement and body, not on the sword." His opponent said, while striking him with a sword vertically.
Subaru barely managed to sidestep, feeling the rush of air as the blade swept past him. Instinctively, he tightened his grip on his own sword.
"Watch his feet!" he reminded himself, eyes darting to the ground as Shadow lunged again. Subaru pivoted to the side, dodging the blow, and with a quick flick of his wrist, countered with a horizontal slash. His blade met the opponent's with another fierce clash, but this time Subaru felt a surge of confidence. "I see you now."
With his renewed resolve, Subaru turned an attack to the right, then quickly attempted to strike from the left. But Shadow was already a step ahead, shifting his weight back and ducking away effortlessly out of sword's way.
"Good feint, but too slow!" Shadow said, before unleashing a number of strikes that Subaru struggled to keep up with. Each clash sent shivers through his hands as he struggled.
Before Shadow could do a decision blow, Subaru exclaimed. "Pandemonium!"
A surge of energy coursed through Subaru as he called out the spell, which he created not so long ago. A veil of purple energy, like shadows, covered his sword as he lunged at Shadow
"Take this!" he cried. Shadow's eyes widened for a moment, sensing the unexpected energy and Mana coursing through Subaru's body and sword. With a new feeling of speed and force, Subaru unleashed a series of unpredictable strikes.
However, even as the speed of his attacks grew, Subaru noticed that Shadow remained calm and focused.
"Impressive," Shadow complimented with a hint of amusement.
Shadow effortlessly parried and redirected each attack with a precision. Each time their swords clashed, Subaru could feel the momentum slipping further away from him.
"Your technique is flashy, but it lacks the fundamentals," Shadow critiqued, his voice calm, as if they were discussing the weather rather than engaged in a fight. "You rely too heavily on raw emotion rather than control."
With each retreat, Subaru felt the weight of fatigue settling into his limbs.
"Let me show you the real meaning of the power!" Shadow suddenly closed the distance, his strikes precise and unyielding. Subaru staggered back, desperately raising his sword to block the incoming blows. Each clash sent jarring vibrations through his body, shattering the illusion of control he had for a fleeting moment.
Gritting his teeth, Subaru tightened his grip, focusing on the movement of Shadow's sword and feet. But as he focused forward, he missed the subtle shift in Shadow's stance.
With a final, calculated strike, Shadow darted and delivered a powerful upward slash, knocking Subaru's sword from his grasp. For a moment, the blade spiraled through the air before clattering to the ground just beyond Subaru's reach.
"You have potential, but you need practice." Shadow said.
"Ghaaaa..." Subaru fell on the ground backwards, panting from the exhaustion.
"Why do you even hide your power? You could easily beat anyone and become a hero of the kingdom?"
"This is not something that I want, I need to keep my mob persona so I wouldn't draw too much attention to myself."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Subaru rolled his eyes before standing up and picking up his slime sword, inspecting it.
"I wonder how you even come up with the idea of using slimes as sword and armor..."
"Through the experiments and tests, I figured out that slimes are excellent mana conductors allowing someone with excellent control over their mana to channel their magic through the slime suit and create just about anything conceivable, from swords to armor and other stuff." Cid explained, as he transformed the slime Into different kinds of weapons.
"That's... something I guess. I am going to take a walk, see you later." Subaru said, as he walked in a different direction. 'That's why you kept the black slimes in the house...'
"Subaru." A young female voice tried to draw his attention.
"Ah!" Subaru jolted, not expecting another person to meet.
"Alpha? What are you doing here?"
"I was just spectaring your training with Lord Shadow—"
"Yeah, I know. I was quite pathetic, wasn't I? Being the weakest among all of you..."
"Don't be so hard on yourself," Alpha replied, stepping closer. Her gaze was steady, a mix of concern and encouragement. "Everyone starts somewhere, and you have potential. You just need to believe in yourself."
"Strength isn't just about power," she replied, her voice softening. "It's about resilience. Kindness and determination can be just as impactful in this world. You may not have the same raw strength as the others, but your heart is what sets you apart, Subaru."
"I think you are overestimating me..." Subaru weakly replied.
"No, I see you clearly," Alpha insisted, her voice firm yet gentle. "You may not think much of yourself right now, but I can see the fire within you, waiting to be unleashed. You don't need to be the strongest fighter to make a difference. Sometimes, being the heart of the team is the most crucial role."
Subaru felt a flicked of warmth in his chest hearing Alpha's words. He shifted his weight, considering her words. "Alright, thank you Alpha."
Alpha warmly smiled at me. "There is nothing to thank me for, Subaru." However the next moment her expression turned serious. "I have received information about a possible trafficking of a possesed."
"Huh? Another possesed?"
"Yes, they are planning to sell it to the church. I have tracked their route and we can act this night."
"Alright, let's get started."
──────────
"So there it is, it seems like you were right, Alpha." Subaru said, looking over a bandit carriage, possibly containing another possessed.
"I heard some rumors about the possessed in a village nearby, this carriage came from there. Looks like we're onto something."
Subaru was analyzing the situation, looking for any weak spots they could use to intervene. The carriage was hastily covered, with bandits walking alongside it.
"A group of 10 bandits, each 5 on both sides. Guarding a carriage, probably a cage with a possessed in it." Subaru muttered, eyes narrowing as he studied them.
"Alright, it's time to plan our move. Alpha, you take the right flank. Shadow should take the left ones. Meanwhile I will distract them from the front." Subaru gestured decisively.
"Sound good?" he asked, glancing between Alpha and Shadow.
Alpha nodded sharply, her blue eyes flickering with resolve. "Understood. I'll flank from the right. Be careful, Pleaides."
Shadow nodded in agreement. "I'll cast a little darkness on their parade and make sure they never forget who's lurking in the shadows."
Subaru flashed a determined grin. "That's the spirit. Now, let's move."
The plan was set, and the air grew tense with anticipation. Subaru took a deep breath, steadying himself as he prepared to lead the charge.
Subaru darted forward, drawing the attention of the bandits with a sudden whip crack, loud and sharp, echoing through the tense silence of the encampment. The bandits snapped their heads toward him, alarmed by the unexpected assault.
"Heya, heya! You stupid bandits! Look at me!"
The bandits, caught off guard at first, now bursted into laughter.
"Haha! Kid! Go back to your mommy, or else these scary and stupid bandits will have to teach you a lesson."
The second bandit replied. "Haha! That's righ—"
However, before he could finish his sentence, his head was sliced off by a slime sword, wielding by Alpha.
On the other side, Shadow was already taking care of the other 2 bandits.
Meanwhile Subaru swung his whip with practiced precision, lashing out to trip a bandit as he rushed toward him, their weapon drawn and angry. Subaru's whip cracked through the air, entangling the legs of a bandit who was charging forward with a roar. The man tumbled, falling face-first into the dirt, his weapon clattering to the ground.
Confusion and panic erupted among the bandits, getting ambushed from all of the sides.
Shadow effortlessly was fighting with 3 bandits at the same time now, swinging, ducking, stepping away from their attacks. He was just toying with them.
One bandit, desperate, lunged at Subaru with a dagger, but he materialized his slime sword and blocked the strike. With a quick flick of his wrist, Subaru pushed back against his attack, forcing bandit to stagger. Seizing the opportunity, Subaru swung his sword aiming to slay the attacker, however Subaru's grip faltered for a split second, his eyes locking onto the trembling face of the bandit.
Fear.
Terror.
Desperation.
In that fleeting moment, Subaru hesitated. His instincts screamed to end the fight swiftly, but his heart begged him to pause. That bandit, he probably have a family and dreams... and hopes just like anyone else. Subaru's breath hitched. The weight of it all pressed down on him.
He froze for a heartbeat too long.
The bandit seized that moment, lunging forward with a wild, desperate slash. In that split second of doubt, the bandit's dagger arced toward Subaru's side, aiming to end the fight with a desperate, reckless strike.
However, the bandit froze in place, before his head slid off his neck, then arms, torso and legs. Behind the body was standing Alpha with enraged and concerned expression.
"Lord Pleiades!" she said with a clear concern in her voice.
Subaru fell on his butt, breathless, staring at the fallen bandit, heart pounding in his chest. His hands trembled slightly.
"I-i am fine... Just a bit shaken..." Subaru said, his voice barely above a whisper, still trying to catch his breath.
Alpha helped him to get up on his feet, while searching for any injuries. "I am sorry, if I was more cautious enough, the bandit wouldn't have come closer to you." She said with a guilty expression.
"Don't beat yourself to it, I kinda messed up. I am fine now. See?" Subaru mustered a small smile, trying to hide his trembling hands.
Subaru looked around, noticing all the bandits lying in blood. So they took care of them.
Subaru and Alpha, who still refused to let go of him, approached the carriage with a cage, where Shadow stood alone.
"If you refuse to kill, it might cost too greatly for you to endure." he said in a cold tone.
"R-right... I just got too careless..."
Subaru pulled down the cloth from the cage which was covering the content of the cage and revealed a pulsing blob of flesh with its sapphire blue eye staring at us. The flesh was mottled and twitching, veins pulsating visibly beneath the translucent surface.
"You were right, Alpha. That's another possessed. Poor thing..."
"Those depraved bandits," she spat, rage and disgust pooling in her voice. "They'll stop at nothing to profit from suffering."
Subaru extended my hand towards it, intending to cure it. His palm landed on the flesh, before the same calm feeling washed over him. The blob was rapidly transforming into something, looked like a human body, before a silver-haired elf fell, Alpha catching her in her arms.
"That's certainly interesting... I didn't pay much attention the first time you cured Alpha." Shadow said, while staring at the silver-haired elf.
"Hm? Did you notice something? I am not sure how this works, it just works I guess."
"You don't exactly cure the possession, more like you are nullifying the negative effects of it, transferring the part of the curse to yourself."
Alpha and Subaru stared at Shadow in shock.
"E-eh? Am I absorbing the curse then? Does it mean that I'll turn into... that as well?" That's definitely not the good news.
"You should have when you first absorbed the curse from Alpha..."
'That's just another score in being a main character' Cid thought to himself.
Slowly, the silver-haired elf opened her eyes, before she started frantically looking around with her hands exploring her body in disbelief. "H-huh? H-how? But I was—"
"I see you have finally awakened." Shadow stated, in his usual ominous voice.
"E-ek!" She squeaked, being frightened of Shadow's figure and voice.
"Calm down, we have cured you from the curse which was plaguing your body." Subaru said in a gentle voice, trying to ease her discomfort.
"Y-you did?" The elf looked at Subaru with a bit of fear and gratitude.
"But how... A-and my family..." Tears started picking up in the corners of her eyes.
"That's the fate that I endured as well, it hurts me as well, more than you realize. But now you have 2 options. First is to try going back to your family, however it would raise more questions and you would be sent to the Church either way, to get experimented or be executed."
The Elf listened intently, the fear was visibly gone from her, however it could be shown only at surface.
"The second option is to join us, join us to fight the people who damned us, the people who cursed us, sending our life's into a spiral of suffering and despair. Join us to fight the Cult of Diablos, the ultimate evil of this world." Alpha said, extending her hand to her.
Subaru felt uneasy hearing her speech about the Cult of Diablos. 'I hope she won't get too worked up in the end. '
"I-i... There are probably more people like me there, right? Being betrayed, stabbed in the back by the people who you loved and cherished. If... if you want me to help you, rescuing people and fighting against such force, t-then I'll join you!" Silver-haired said, despite her shaky voice there was a tone of determination in it. She took the hand of Alpha and stood up, the dark slime covering her body
"Then your name shall be Beta, welcome to the Shadow Garden. As I am the Shadow, he who lurks and he who kills in shadows." He said while giving me a substantial glance, trying to hint at something.
"And I am... Pleiades, the star which lights the path of the shadows." Subaru barely managed to restrain himself from sighing.
──────────
It's been a few months since the creation of Shadow Garden or rather - Cid's fantasies. They managed to gather a group of individuals dedicated to defeating the made-up Cult.
Besides Alpha and Beta, their first recruits, they have addition of new 5 members - Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Eta and Zeta.
Gamma, 5th member of the Shadow Garden, is a dark blue-haired elf, who Cid rescued during one of his "missions", later being recruited by Alpha. She seems to have suffered the same fate as other girls.
Delta, the 6th member, is a wolf therianthrope with the black hair. She was found by Shadow, Alpha and Subaru. They heard the commotion in the forest and went to investigate it and found her in a very poor state. Despite the weakness, she tried to lunge at Subaru and Alpha, attacking us. However, the moment she felt Shadow presence she immediately went into submission. Subaru offered to cure her and give her a new family, to which she accepted 3 of us as pack leaders.
Epsilon, the 7th member, is an elf with azure hair and light blue eyes. She was found by Subaru by pure coincidence. She crawled her way up a mountain trail but the Possession started to take effect on her body. Subaru cured her and later she swore her loyalty to him, joining the ranks.
Zeta, the 8th member, is a cat therianthrope with blonde hair and purple eyes. When they found her, she was furious, pleading for someone to save her and give her power. Her parents were mercilessly killed along with her little brother. Shadow cured her and gave her power later being recruited into our ranks.
And Eta, the 9th member, is an elf with brown hair and purple eyes. She was found by Shadow, curing her and taking her to us.
"Yo Cid, are you sure that... Cult is actually a made-up thing?" Cid and Subaru were currently in the abandoned town, where the girls were living. It was late evening.
"I definitely made that up." he said nonchalantly
"I am just getting... Way too many reports from Alpha regarding the Cult and Zeta's story about the church, possession and Cult felt way too real."
"They are just playing along with us, having fun. I was impressed by Zeta's story. I wonder where she learned such skills as an actor."
"Yeah... I see... Whatever" Subaru facepalmed. This is just getting ridiculous with each passing day.
They entered the house, which was well-built with working lights visible outside. Upon entering, the smell of the delicious food entered their noses. Subaru looked around, admiring the modern architecture which was chosen by him and Cid.
"Boss!" Delta, upon noticing the presence of Cid immediately jumped on him. "Boss! Delta hunted so many bandits today! When are you going to hunt with me?"
"Soon Delta, I hope you've been a good girl and didn't cause Gamma any trouble today." Cid said, petting her wolf ears.
"But Gamma is weak, I won't listen to her!"
Delta was from the tribe, where strength meant everything. Weak were getting pressured and belittled by strong and having such a mindset she would often try to bully weaker girls.
"Lord Pleiades, Lord Shadow. Welcome." Alpha greeted us, wearing her casual clothing which they got from Claire's wardrobe. Hope she won't notice the missing clothing.
"Hey Alpha, I see we are not late for dinner, huh?"
"In fact we were ready to place the plates on the table just now, please join us."
"Is Beta doing fine now?" Subaru asked with concern.
Alpha took more soft expression. "Beta finally stopped having nightmares... It's all thanks to you and Shadow." She softly smiled at Subaru.
Beta, just like Subaru, couldn't just mindlessly kill another person, essentially going trauma after being ordered to kill people. That was the source of her nightmares. As her restlessness worsened, they tried comforting her in our different ways.
Shadow told her bedtime stories from our world, documenting each take to read to herself again.
As for Subaru, he decided to pick his old habit from my old life - sewing. He sewed her doll versions of each of them: Subaru, Cid, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta and Eta. And their efforts worthed the results.
"I am glad to hear that."
Subaru settled myself on the dining table with Alpha at my side, while seeing Epsilon and Zeta approaching with plates of food.
"My Lords." Epsilon gracially bowed to Subaru and Cid.
"Lord Pleiades, Lord Shadow." Zeta bowed as well to them.
"Yeah, Hey..." Subaru still wasn't used to such formality. He already embraced myself as a Pleiades, well kind of, but such formality was odd to him.
Slowly, everyone started gathering on the table. Gamma, followed by Cid and Delta, sleepy Eta and lastly Beta with a doll version of myself.
Subaru found this kinda cute, seeing her carrying around his doll. A sense of pride also hit him. Alpha told him that she would sleep with that doll, hugging it tightly all the nights.
Various girls sent her jealous glances, which went unnoticed by Subaru.
"Uhm... Lord Pleiades..." Alpha looked at me, with an expression, while sending quick glances towards Beta with a doll.
"Eh? Ah! You want me to sew you a doll too? Which one do you want? Yours?"
"I want a doll of you as well..." She said while casting her eyes down, a light blush appearing on her cheeks.
"Y-yeah, no problem!" For some reason, Subaru got flustered as well.
"Hey! I want one too as well!" Epsilon exclaimed.
"Lord Pleiades... if it doesn't bother you..." Gamma and Zeta also said, rather sheepishly.
"..." Eta stared at Subaru, her message was clear to him.
Meanwhile Beta was staring at everyone with an unreadable expression. 'Well, I guess I have a few restless nights to sew.' Subaru thought to himself.